Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-07
BUILDERS, EXCHANGE.

The Builders Make Their Statement
 to the Public of New Haven as to
 Their Position With Regard to the
 Carpenters Strike-The Issue clearly
 Defined.
 The following resolutions were adopted at
 meeting of the New Haven Builders ex-
 cha nge held last night:
 Whereas, An attempt is being made by interested parties to misrepresent the posi- tion of the master builders of New Haven with regard to the existing controversy with | the Carpenters union; and whereas justice | to all concerned demands that the public should be enlightened as to the points at is sue in this controversy, we, the master builders of New Haven, desire to call at | tention to the following brief statement of the origin and present status Of the contro- versy:
 In the spring of 1886 the Carpenters union issued @ demand upon the master builders to accede to an agreement that nine | hours should constitute days work at the
 regular rate of pay. In order that they l might not be made responsible for any dis ] turbance of business the master builders as sented to this agreement, so far as hours of ! labor were concerned, with the understand | ing that the rate of pay should be as mutual l ly agreed upon between master and work man.
 This agreement was to stand until the 1st v l to by the master builders with one or two exceptions.
 Early in the present year the Carpenters union announced that after the first of May tho old agreement would be insisted upon with the additional requirement that no non union workmen should be employed Feel ing that the rights of faithful employees would be surrendered if the additional re- quirement should be agreed to the master builders determined to make stand against this demand and to this end organized the Builders exchange, which embraces practi- cally all the builders of New Haven. The strike which began the first of the present month was due to the refusal of the mem bers of the Builders exchange to discharge theis on-union employees. There was absolutely no disagreement as to hours of work or rate of pay, the simple question at issue being whether the builders would submit to dictation as to whom they should or should not employ. There are some 200 non union carpenters now in the employ of members of the Builders exchange, good workmen who have served their employers faithfully, some of them for many years. Should the demand of the Carpenters
 union be acceded to these men would be
 thrown out of employment and comp elled to
 leave New Haven. Most of them have fam flies dependent upon them. Their only offense consists in having faithfully lived up to their individual agreements made with their en- ployers.
 Simple justice and common decency de- mand that these men and their families shall not be sacrificed to the whims of the agitators who control the Carpenters union. In view of the situation above outlined,
 and in order that we may preserve our self
 respect by dealing fairly by men who have
 dealt fairly by us, we, the master builders of New Haven, desire it to be understood that we are
 Resolved That we will not submit to the de- mand made upon us to discharge men who have proved themselves faithful in eur service. And we are further
 Resolved That we will, to the best of our ability, protect the men now in our employ and others who effort hope for and expect to receive the cor
 dial support of all fair-minded members of the
 community.